Railroad-switch



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL A. srRoM, or

AUSTIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE STROM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-SWITCH."

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 457,904, dated August 18, 1891.

Application filed April 25, 1891.` `Serial No. 390,420. (No model.)

To all w/wm, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, AXEL A. STROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of railwayswitches known as split switches, being ro those formed with point-rails located between Amain rails and tied together to be simultaneously thrown laterally against one or the other of the main rails by a suitable switch-operating device.

One object of myimprovement is to stiffen the point-rails lengthwise by re-enforcing means applied laterally to the inner sides of the rails, but spaced therefrom and adapted to rest on their foundation laterally of the point- :o rails. As to this feature of my invention I may state that I know it to be old to reenforce the point-rails of split switches by means of T-bars fastened to the inner sides of their webs. This construction, however, z5 not adapting the re-enforcing means to rest on a foundation plane lateral to that of the point-rails, does not serve, as does mine, to

. hold up the point-rails.

A common defect in split switches is that 3o the point-rails are liable. to be or become bent and from that or some other cause to fail to meet the main rails toward which they are thrown, thereby producing liability to accident. My object in this connection is to pro- 3 5 vide a split switch having the point-rails connected by a tie-bar with a horizontal extension from the inner side of each or either point-rail or from the re-enforcing means, if

e provided, the extensions inclining toward each 4o other and having preferably elongated or longitudinal series of transverse holes, and a plate to fit against the web of each point-rail, having a bolt-hole, and to which the tie-bar is fastened. I secure the tie-bar in position by bolting the aforesaid plates to the rails at the proper points to maintain them so spread apart that the limit of their throw will be against the main rails, and to gage the throw, if disarranged from any cause or requiring 5o readjustment, I slide the plates farther toward or from the points of the rails, as the case may require farthcrspreading apart or bringing together of the rails, and there bolt the plates to the extensions. Other means for effecting readily adjustmentof the gage of the point-rails are shown and described in my pending application for LettersPatent of the United States, Serial No. 391,798, filed May 6, 189i. In the accompanying drawings, Figure lisa 6o plan view representing a railroad-track having a split switch provided with my improvements constructed in accordance with my preference as to details. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 of Fig. I and viewed 1n 65 the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is an e11- larged section taken on the line 3 of Fig. l and viewed in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken view, in perspective, showing in detail my improved 7o point-rail-adjusting device.

A A are main rails in a railroad-track, and B B are the point-rails of a split switch in the track, the point-rails being fastened, respectively, at Along the inner side of each Vpoint-rail-say for about fifteen feet (more or less) of its length- I extend a re-enforcing bar C, preferably in the form of a guard-rail, secured to the point-rail by bolts r, passed through them and through interposed spac- 8o ing-blocks p. provided at desired intervals, and which maintain the heads of the connected rails B and C apart ,and thevadjacent edges of their flanges together throughout the greater portion of the length of the bar C. The ends of the rails C should be bentinward, as shown, and as is common with guard-rails. Inclining horizontally inward from the inner sides of the rails B and toward each other, and preferably, but not necessarily, extending 9o from the rails C and from the ends thereof to project beyond the points of the rails B, are the sections D D, each provided in its web with aV horizontal series of bolt-holes q and Wit-h a plate E, adapted to fit against the web of the rail in a manner to permit it to be readily slid back and forth, and provided with a hole for a bolt 0.

F is the tie-bar, which may involve the construction illustrated or any other suitable loe construction. The tie-bar shown is provided near its opposite ends with rigid opposing jaws n, affording seats for the rails B, and which iit at their opposing extremities against opposite sides of the webs of the rails, a slot 'm being provided in the base of each adjusting-plate E to permit the adjacent side of the respective jaw 'n to pass through it against the web and cause the jaw to be engaged by the said plate. At opposite sides of the seats 'n the bar F is depressed, as shown at l, to pass under the bases of the main rails A, and from one end the bar F is pivotally connected with one end of a switch-connecting rod F', the opposite end of which leads to a switchstand. (Not shown.)

From the foregoing description of the construction it will be apparent that the re-enforcing bars or guard-rails C, in addition to their function of stiening and straightening (if bent) the point-rails, hold up the points, owing, practically, to the expansion they afford of the bases of the switch-rails, and that the gage of the rails B may be readily adj usted by securing the plates E at proper holes q or places on the sections D, (whether the latter be on re-enforcing rails C or at any suitable points on the switchrails,) according to whether the effect to be produced be that of spreading the rails apart or bringing them closer together.

I realize that if only one of the inclined sections D were provided the adjustment would be effective, and I therefore desire to be understood as including said construction as within the meaning of my claim.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*- l. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of 11e-enforcing bars secured to and extending along their inner sides and having their bearing-bases laterally beyond those of the point-rails, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of gage-adj usting horizontallyinward-projecting sections inclining inward from the point-rails, and a tie bar connecting the point-rails at and adjustable on the said sections lengthwise thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. Ina split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of gage-adj ustin'g horizon tallyinward-projecting sections inclining toward each other from the point-rails and provided with bolt holes, perforated plates fitting against the sides of the said sections and bolted thereto, and a tie-bar connecting the point-rails at the said sections and held by the said plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

l. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of guard-rails bolted to and extending along the inner sides of the pointrails, and spacers interposed between the point-rails and guard-rails, substantially as and for the purpose set fort-h.

5. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails, of re-enforcing bars secured to the inner sides of the said rails and extending beyond the points thereof, and a tie-bar connecting the point-rails at the said exten sions, substantially as described.

G. In a split switch, the combination, with the point-rails B, of guard-rails C, bolted to and extending along the inner sides and beyond the points of the rails B, bent sections D at the ends of the guard-rails, havingholes q, perforated plates E, bolted to the said sections through holes q, and a tie-barF connecting the point-rails at the sections D and engaged by the adjustable plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

AXEL A. STROM.

In presence olf- J. W. DYRENFQRTH, M. J. FROST. 

